Deep Woods Danger
by Al The Observer
Summary: Sam leaps into a boy and discovers there is danger in the deep woods. But can he change history and save a life, maybe even his own? Or is history doomed to repeat itself?
1. Prologue

Prologue

As the blue light faded, and Sam gradually regained use of his senses, he discovered he was in the woods - the deep woods. Looking around, he figured it must have been winter, as there were no leaves on the trees, except for the tall thin pine trees that were scattered in among the deciduous trees throughout the forest.

Sam could feel the cold, moist air on his face as he looked around him. When he exhaled, a cloud of fog formed in front of him. He looked down to see he was wearing hunter's camouflage, and he was holding a rifle in his lap. It was only then that he realized he was about twenty feet in the air, sitting in a tree stand. Vertigo instantly took over, and he was overwhelmed with dizziness. Why wouldn't his Swiss-cheesed memory let him forget he was afraid of heights?

"Bubba? You okay?" Sam looked about ten feet to his left and saw a young man, maybe in his late teens, wearing the same kind of hunter's camouflage, also sitting in a tree stand. "You don't look so good."

"Well, I, uh, I don't feel so good, either," stammered Sam.

"What's the matter?" The other man asked the question as he climbed down from his tree stand.

"Uh, I don't really like heights," Sam said as a lump started to form in his throat.

"Well, they've never bothered you before. Come on down, and lemme have a look atcha."

Sam put his rifle down, and made his way over to the ladder. He had only gotten down the first few steps, when his foot slipped on the moist metal and he came crashing down onto the soft, wet ground.

"Ohhh, boy," Sam groaned.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The other man ran to Sam's side. "Bubba! Aw, man! Are you okay?"

"I th... I think so," Sam said as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "The ground is soft so it must have absorbed a little of the impact."

"Good, 'cause you know Momma 'n' Daddy'd kill me if I ever let anything bad happen to you! You're my only brother, and I promised to take care of you while we were out here. You stay here. I'll go up and get your gun. It's about time to go home, anyway."

_We're brothers_, Sam thought as he watched the other man climb up the tree stand. _I'm probably the younger one, judging by his protective attitude over me. I had an older brother when I was growing up. Tom. I remember he died in Vietnam, but I was given the chance to save him. I must be here to give one of these two brothers a second chance._

"Here's your gun. You gonna make it home okay?" the other man asked.

"How far is it?" Sam asked, hoping it wasn't too far. He was sore from the fall, but he felt like he could walk home if he had to.

"It's about five miles or so, don't you remember?"

"Five miles?" _I'm too sore to walk five miles! It's too cold to walk five miles!_

"Bubba, you sure you're okay? Can you make it to the four-wheeler over there?" He gestured to a camouflage painted four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle sitting in some undergrowth nearby.

"Oh, the four-wheeler! Yeah, I guess so." His voice was a little strained as he got up, but he felt very relieved he wouldn't have to stiffly hobble more than a few feet.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The ten-minute ride was very bumpy and very cold, but it sure beat walking. Sam winced in pain over every bump, and at that speed, the wind chill must have been below zero, so he was thankful he was sitting behind "his" older brother on the vehicle.

They came to the edge of the woods, and Sam saw a small, modest home sitting in a fairly large field. It was white, with a large front porch and a couple of chickens pecking around at the foot of the steps.

As they pulled into the gravel driveway, a dark-haired man appeared out of the front door and stepped out onto the porch. He appeared to be in his forties, and although he was well-built and muscular, he had a bit of a gut hanging over his belt. "Billy! Jacob! Did y'all bring us back anything?"

_Oh, great. Which one am I, Billy or Jacob?_

"Naw, Dad," the older brother said. "Jacob fell from his tree stand, so we came on home."

Sam glanced up to the sky, _Thanks for answering so quickly._

A woman, who also appeared to be in her forties, came running out of the front door. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, although Sam suspected it was not her natural color. She was rather thin compared to the man. "Oh, Jacob! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, the ground was soft, so it didn't hurt too much. I think I just need to go lie down for a while," Sam replied.

"You go on inside, hon, and get out of those wet clothes, too!" She seemed a little less worried than she was moments ago.

"Okay, uh, Mom," Sam tried. She smiled and kissed him on the head and then went back into the kitchen.

_I just hope I can find my room. I wish people would wear nametags, even though this has been an easy leap so far, except for the fall. If only rooms had nametags._

Sam came to the second room on the right, just past the bathroom, and smiled as he read a sign on the door: "Jacob's parking only. All others will be towed." _Thanks, again._ He again gave an appreciative glance upward. He then went inside and closed the door behind him.

It was a small room, but with adequate space to move around in. Not enough for a party or anything, but Sam had a feeling Jacob wasn't into parties much. There was a bed with plain sheets and what appeared to be a hand-made quilt on it. There was also a small desk with some paper, pens, and a framed photograph of a young girl, probably twelve or thirteen.

Sam picked the picture up for a better look. She was pretty, in a plain sort of way. Written on the bottom of the photo in bubbly handwriting inside a heart was "I love you Jacob. Misty."

He put the picture down and found the small closet in the corner of the room. He pulled out some fresh clothes, changed, and lay down on the bed with a contented sigh. It was soft, but not so soft it sucked him in. Perfect. It didn't take him long to fall asleep on the warm, comfortable bed.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

He woke the next morning to a rooster crowing. _Just like back home at the farm._ He had slept through dinner the previous night, so when he woke up, he was famished. From down the hall somewhere, he could smell bacon cooking. It made his stomach growl with anticipation.

On his way to the kitchen, he made a detour to answer nature's call. When he was finished, he studied the reflection in the mirror. Jacob appeared to be twelve or thirteen, the same age as Misty in the picture in his room. His hair was dark like his father's and brother's, and his resemblance to the two was uncanny. He shook his hair out with his fingers and washed his face. The pain from yesterday was already beginning to subside. He shuffled down the hall, following the aroma of eggs and bacon to the kitchen.

"Hey, bud," said Jacob's father, patting Sam on the shoulder. "You feelin' any better? You slept right through supper, but your mom didn't have the heart to wake ya up."

"Yeah, Dad. Thanks. But I'm really hungry now," Sam said as his stomach growled again.

"I bet you are! Momma's whipped up some bacon, eggs, and grits for ya! She and Billy have run to the store, but they'll be back soon. Sit down, eat up! I'm goin' outside to work on that dang car. Come out when you get finished, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Dad." Sam sat down at the table and started in on the eggs.

Suddenly, (whoosh) – (whoosh) Al appeared, wearing the brightest orange pants Sam had ever seen. He was wearing an almost matching shirt, although it was a bit darker, and had random geometric figures on it. Bright silver shoes completed the look.

"Hey, Sam. Oh, I wish I could have some of that," Al moaned, gesturing to Sam's breakfast. "Mmm, I love a good bowl of grits! Yumola!" He licked his lips appreciatively.

"Al."

"Huh, what?" Al looked from Sam's breakfast to Sam. "Oh, yeah." He pulled Ziggy's handlink from his pocket and punched some buttons on it. The device whirred and lit up in random patterns as it came to life. "It's January 4, 1997, and you've leaped into a twelve year old boy named..."

"Jacob," Sam interjected.

"Yeah, Jacob Hen." Al frowned at the handlink and smacked it with the heel of his hand, causing it to let out a high-pitched cry. "Derson. Oh, Jacob Henderson." He rolled his eyes and continued. "He lives with his mother Phyllis, his father Ben, and his seventeen year old brother William, who everybody calls Billy. You live in rural Shelby County, Alabama, right outside the boundaries of the Cahaba Wildlife Management Area, which just opened in 1996."

"That must be where we were yesterday. We were hunting, and it was heavily wooded."

"Yeah, that's it." The handlink in Al's hand let out a cry. "Uh, oh," said Al.

"What?"

"Well, Ziggy says you're here to save the lives of Billy and Jacob. They both get killed today on a hunting trip in the wildlife area."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"What happened, Al?" Sam asked, having completely lost his appetite for breakfast.

Al punched some more buttons on the handlink. "Well, in the original history, Billy and Jacob went out to go hunting, but they never returned. Their bodies were found two days later, separated. According to Ziggy, Billy was driving the four-wheeler and crashed into a tree and was killed instantly. Jacob was found about half a mile away, killed by a gunshot wound."

"What? Who would want to kill a kid, Al?"

"Apparently, they were both riding the four-wheeler when it crashed, and Billy's body protected Jacob from the force of the crash. So Jacob went on foot to get help. He was wearing all camouflage with no blaze. The only thing the authorities could figure is that a hunter mistook Jacob for a deer and shot him but never owned up to it."

"Blaze?" Sam asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, blaze orange. You're a hunter, don't you remember?"

Sam frowned a little and shook his head.

"Ah, you're Swiss-cheesed." Al waved his hand around in the air as if to dismiss that thought, and continued. "Blaze orange is also called hunter's orange. It's this really bright... Here. It's this." He raised his right leg and tugged on his pants.

Sam tried to hide a grimace but failed. Al gave him a sarcastic "Thanks buddy" look. "Hunters are supposed to wear at least 144 square inches of this color so they can be seen by other hunters and not get shot," Al continued. "That's also why it took so long to find the bodies. Sam, there's over 40,000 acres of trees out there." He pointed out the window with his cigar and continued. "And neither Henderson boy was wearing orange. Even in the winter, those woods are thick, and it's hard to find camouflaged people."

"So we just wear orange," Sam surmised.

"But Billy still gets killed in the crash. Look, I'm gonna go see if I can find out exactly when they get killed. You keep Billy off that four-wheeler." Al punched a button on the handlink. (whoosh) He stepped into the blue rectangle of light that had appeared in the middle of the kitchen. (whoosh) He was gone, leaving Sam to his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Phyllis and Billy returned from the store around 10 AM, just as Sam had finished getting dressed. He helped Phyllis put the groceries away, as best he could, considering he didn't know where anything was supposed to go. He then went outside, sat on the porch, and watched as Ben and Billy worked on and cursed at the old blue clunker of a car in the yard. This was entertaining for a while, but Sam soon grew restless and started worrying about when and how the accident occurred.

He got up and went for a walk around the field in front of the house. He walked up the dirt road and stopped at the sign that said, "Entering Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area." Just then, a voice called to him. "Jacob!"

Sam turned around to see a plain-looking but pretty girl with light brown hair and freckles. He recognized her as Misty from Jacob's picture.

"Hey, Misty," Sam said.

"My mom said you fell out of your tree stand yesterday. Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Sam answered.

"Good. I got real worried when I heard about it, but I'm glad you're okay." She pointed beyond the sign. "You gonna go back out there?"

"Uh, hopefully not today. I don't think I'm quite ready to try-"

"Bubba!" Billy called as he came running up the dirt road. "I've been looking all over for ya! Hey, Misty."

"Hey Billy," Misty grinned. "Well I gotta go. I'll see y'all later," she called over her shoulder as she ran down the dirt road toward the house Sam presumed was hers.

"Ooh, I once had a thing for a girl named Misty," said Al as he walked through the sign toward Sam. "She was a waitress at this little diner just outside town. Boy, you shoulda seen her 'Daily Special'..." Sam shot him a "stop it" look, and Al responded by waving his cigar around and saying, "Okay. Sorry, Sam"

"Well, you gonna go get ready?" Billy asked.

"Ready for what?" Sam asked.

"To go back out there and see if we can get us a big deer!" Billy said, patting Sam on the shoulder.

"Does it have to be today?" Sam asked.

"Aw, Bubba, you're just scared you'll fall outta that tree stand again," Billy responded.

"No, I just don't feel like today's a really good day to go back out there. Maybe we can wait till tomorrow, okay?" Sam suggested.

"Look, Bubba, if you're scared, I'll just go by myself," Billy offered.

"No, Sam!" Al interjected. "You can't let him go alone! Ziggy says he'll still die on the four-wheeler!"

"Okay, I'll go with you. But we gotta wear orange while we're out there," Sam insisted.

"Orange! Bubba, we've never worn orange! You know that!" Billy exclaimed. "The whole point of wearing camo is to be invisible. Why would you ruin that by wearing orange?"

"So other hunters can see us," Sam answered.

"When's the last time you ever seen or even heard another hunter out there?" Billy asked as he pointed beyond the sign.

"Um... well, uh," Sam stammered, looking to Al for help, but receiving none.

"Exactly! There ain't nobody else out there! Heck, it hasn't even been open that long! Now, I'm going, with or without you," Billy said as he started back toward the house.

"Sam!" Al exclaimed.

"Billy! Wait! I'm coming," Sam called as he ran down the dirt road after Billy.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Lunch was uneventful and went by rather quickly. Soon Sam and Billy were on the four-wheeler riding through the Wildlife Management Area. It was a really nice ride, and Sam would have enjoyed himself, had he not known the impending danger ahead. Suddenly, Al appeared in a small clearing just as Sam and Billy arrived.

"Billy," Sam called. "I gotta stop for a minute. Can we stop here?"

"Aw, man. How come you never go before we leave?" He stopped the vehicle just before it passed through Al.

Al looked at the vehicle and then at Billy. "Thanks," he said before re-centering himself about fifty yards into the woods.

"I'll just be a minute," Sam called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the woods. "Al," he said as he reached his holographic friend, "have you found out anything else?"

"Yeah, Ziggy says the crash most likely occurred around 3:30. That's about an hour from now. See, there's a National Weather Service recording station just a few miles..." Al looked around, jabbed his cigar to the southeast, and continued, "...that way. At around 3 PM on January 4, it recorded a sudden drop in visibility as a fog rolled in. Ziggy thinks that's why Billy crashed into the tree. He couldn't see it till it was too late. And then when Jacob went for help, he was mistaken for a deer in the fog and shot."

"Well, this is an easy leap, Al." Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I just have to get Billy to let me drive the four-wheeler, and you can steer us around any obstacles."

Al puffed on his cigar as Sam was talking. "No," he said as he took his cigar out of his mouth. "It won't be that easy. See, in 1995, Billy let Jacob drive the four-wheeler around the field in front of their house. He crashed it and put them both in the hospital. Billy hasn't let Jacob drive it since then, and he's not likely to now."

"It's all I have, Al," Sam said regretfully.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sam made his way back to the clearing where Billy was waiting.

"Well, Bubba, you ready to go?"

"Billy, I was thinking," Sam started. "Do you think maybe I could drive the four-wheeler now?"

"Bubba, don't you remember two years ago, when you almost killed us both? And that was in the field, where there were no trees! Huh, no way you're driving this thing," Billy scoffed.

"Well, that was a long time ago, and I'm a lot older now," said Sam.

"Ha! You can say that again!" Al exclaimed around his cigar.

"Look," Sam continued, having shot his friend a critical look. "I didn't want to tell you this because I knew you would get mad at me. But I've been practicing on your four-wheeler when you're not around."

"What!" Billy looked at Sam incredulously.

"Billy, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get better, and maybe one day be as good as you."

"That's good, Sam," Al said, nodding in approval.

"Well, I have noticed I've been running out of gas sooner than I thought I should. Aw, geez." Billy threw his arms up in exasperation. "Okay, Bubba. Show me what you know," he said reluctantly.

Sam hopped on the vehicle and started it up as Billy got on behind him.

"Now start out real slow, okay?" Billy called over the engine noise.

"Okay!" Sam called back.

Al kept himself centered on Sam as they rode along, and it was rather eerie to see him floating along beside them, passing right through trees._ I'm driving the four-wheeler now. Why haven't I leaped? We must still crash in the fog. _Just ahead, Sam saw a sharp jagged rock sticking out between some tree roots, and he knew what he had to do.

"Sam, watch out for that rock!" Al called, pointing the flashing handlink at the rock.

Sam ignored him and ran directly over the rock, flattening the left front tire. He stopped the four-wheeler and turned it off. "Uh, Billy, do we have a patch kit? I accidentally hit a sharp rock," Sam lied.

"No, we don't. Why didn't you just go around it?" Billy asked, obviously upset.

"Well, I didn't see it till it was too late." Sam tried to act sorry.

"See, this is why I didn't want ya drivin'. You're just not ready to yet," Billy said, getting more upset.

"I'm sorry," said Sam, sounding more sincere.

"Sam, you've changed history!" Al exclaimed. "Billy doesn't die in a four-wheeler crash, and Jacob doesn't get shot!"

"That's great," Sam responded quietly.

"Yeah, that's real great," Billy said, disgusted. "Now we're gonna have to walk all the way home to get another tire." He turned and started walking back down the trail.

The handlink then squealed loudly. "Uh-oh, Sam," Al continued, alarmed by the news Ziggy had just given him. "Now Billy gets shot and dies out here."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Sam turned around to Al and whispered, "When did it happen?"

"Well," Al said, smacking and shaking the handlink. "Ziggy can't come up with the data on when the shooting occurred, just that without medical care, Billy bled to death as a result of an otherwise non life threatening gunshot wound." He smacked it again, and squeezed it until it squealed.

Sam turned back around to see Billy walking through the woods toward home. Just then, a gunshot rang out, and Billy fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Seeing Billy fall, Sam quickly ran over to him and called out to Al, "Where did that shot come from?"

"I don't know!" Al and Billy answered in unison.

Al looked up and yelled, "Gooshie, center me on - wherever the hell that gunshot came from!" A second later, he disappeared.

Sam ripped Billy's right pants leg open and inspected the wound. "It looks like the bullet missed your femoral artery, but it's still lodged in your medialis." He took off his jacket, rolled it up, and tied it fairly tightly around Billy's leg, putting direct pressure on the wound.

"Ah, Bubba, what're you doin'? Man, that hurts!" Billy cried in pain.

"I'm putting a pressure bandage on the wound. It'll slow the bleeding, but we still need to get you to a hospital."

Just then, Al reappeared. "Sam, the hunter that shot Billy heard him yell and ran that way," he pointed over his shoulder, punched a button on the handlink, and disappeared again.

Sam got up and told Billy, "You just lie here and put your leg up on this log. I'm going to get help."

"Bubba," Billy called. Sam turned around. "Where'd you learn all that stuff, anyway?"

"Health class," Sam responded, and ran off in search of Al. He finally caught up with Al several hundred yards away from where he left Billy. He stopped and leaned on a tree to catch his breath. Breathing heavily, he asked Al, "Which way?"

"Well, he ran off that way," Al pointed his cigar. "But he got too much of a head start. You'll never catch up with him in time to save Billy," Al answered.

Sam smiled and said, "I don't need to."

Al turned around to see what Sam was smiling about, and saw the hunter's four-wheeler parked nearby, with the key still in the switch.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Sam and Billy got to the dirt road, just as the fog started rolling in. In less than thirty minutes, Billy was at the hospital being treated for his wound. Sam sat with Phyllis and Ben until the doctor invited them back to Billy's room.

On her way out the door, Phyllis asked Sam, "Aren't you gonna come see your brother?"

"In a minute," Sam answered.

They left the waiting room, and Sam turned to Al, who had been standing there smoking his cigar for the past couple of minutes.

"Huh, this is the only time I'll ever get to smoke in a hospital," Al remarked, looking at his beloved cigar.

"So is Billy going to be okay?" Sam asked.

"Oh, sure." Al raised the handlink to read from it. "He makes a full recovery, graduates from high school, and opens a powersports shop where he sells four-wheelers, go carts, and dirt." Confused, he looked at the handlink. "Why would he sell dirt?" He whacked the handlink, and it cried out a high-pitched squeal. "Bikes. Oh, dirt bikes." He chuckled a little and continued. "Anyway, he and Jacob go on to teach safety courses for hunting and four-wheeling."

Suddenly, Misty burst through the waiting room door. "Jacob! I heard about what happened! Is Billy gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "He's gonna be just fine."

"Good," Misty grinned. "'Cause I'd hate to think anything bad happened to my future brother-in-law!"

Sam raised his eyebrows at Al, who looked at the handlink and shook his head.

"She doesn't marry Jacob. If fact, she drops out of high school and doesn't get married at all. She bounces around between dead-end jobs and just disappears into society." Al looked back at Sam. "Unless you change history, of course," he added with a smirk. Sam hesitated for a moment.

"Go on," Al encouraged.

"Misty," Sam called as she was about to leave the waiting room. She turned around, and Sam hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She pulled back and slapped him. "Ew, Jacob Henderson, you are so gross! I always knew I liked Billy better!" And she ran down the hall toward Billy's room.

"Well," Al said, trying to stifle a chuckle as he read the handlink. "You did it. Misty finishes high school at Billy's insistence. They get married after she graduates, and he puts her through nursing school with the money he makes on the shop. Oh, and get this, Sam. She adds wilderness first aid to Billy and Jacob's safety courses, and together they save a lot of lives."

"Hey, Jacob," Ben called from the waiting room door. "Billy wants to see you."

Sam walked down the hall and into Billy's room and sat down by the bed, near where Al was now standing.

"You know what I've decided to do?" Billy asked.

"Um," Sam looked at Al and Al shrugged, pounding the handlink. He then looked back at Billy. "No, what?"

"I've decided to buy you your own four-wheeler as soon as I get the chance. I think you've earned it. It's just my way of saying..." He held out his hand, and Sam grasped it. "...thanks, Little Brother."

And Sam leaped.


End file.
